The Family Table: Moms are the best reminder that food is love
A couple weeks back, my mom called me while I was at work.
It was late when she went to bed the night before, she said, in part because she was busy making iced banana nut muffins. She wanted me to come downstairs and pick them up for the newsroom. It took one pass around for the muffins to disappear.
Nearly every Sunday, my mother-in-law hosts family dinner. Sometimes, it’s a few; others, she feeds people in the double digits, and her door is always open.
Food, for both of them, is a way to show how much they care. It’s a way to have people gather together, share time and have sustenance for both the body and mind in doing so.
In hectic days, juggling work and family, it’s easy to rush through a meal only for the purpose of eating. Daily at work, I find myself doing things between bites of food. Half a conversation here, a bite of zucchini noodles there, and back to it.
It gets me through the day, and keeps from becoming, as the kids like to say, “hangry” (a combination of hungry and angry).
At home, we try to adhere to mealtimes together, but it doesn’t always work. With two working parents, karate, band and other activities, dinner sometimes become an “eat when you have the time to” venture.
To make that more possible, I try as best as I can to cook on Sundays and Wednesdays.
It’s never anything overly fancy — meatballs or burgers, roasted chicken, lots and lots of veggies, and a carb of some sort.
Pulling out containers and loading up plates to heat them is much, much simpler than cooking from scratch, but it definitely requires some planning.
Twice a week, I grocery shop, and roast veggies. Since we’re blessed with children who eat everything (and lots of it), I can make whatever is in season and freshest from the grocery store. Recently, they’ve noshed on asparagus, cauliflower rice, broccoli crowns and sweet potatoes. Small zucchinis have been carved into noodles and topped with sauce and meatballs.
There are points at which I feel like I should own stock in a farm — and food storage containers.
And often, I feel like the place I spend the most time in my house is my kitchen.
When I get frustrated at the pace, I remind myself of my mom and my mother-in-law: two ladies who are wonderful at knowing just how important a meal can be, beyond just sustaining life.
That never fails to make me smile, and gives me the motivation to instill that same love and care through food in the three we’re raising.
Jennifer Garofalo is the 蘑菇视频’s news managing editor. 蘑菇视频 her at jgarofalo@heraldstandard.com.
Simple Roasted Asparagus
1 pound asparagus, woody ends removed
Salt/pepper
drizzle of olive oil
red pepper flakes
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 lemon, juiced
This method works for most vegetables, but the roasting time will vary.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Lay asparagus flat, in a single layer, and drizzle with oil.
Combine garlic and seasonings and mix everything together. Roast for about 20 minutes, and test doneness by piercing with a fork. Thicker stalks will take longer, thinner ones should only take about 20 minutes.
Drizzle lemon juice on it when they come out of the oven.
Cool and store until you’re ready to eat.